Go With Me

Teen-pop jangle meets soft-rock dreaminess on Seapony’s debut, <i>Go with Me</i>. The Seattle trio favors pastel colors and muted emotional tones, conveyed by Jen Weidl’s coolly waifish vocals, Danny Rowland’s cleanly drawn guitar lines, and Ian Brewer’s understated but insistent bass. There are echoes of Velocity Girl here, as well as the gentler side of Mazzy Star. The band’s songwriting hits the ear like a subliminal mélange of ‘60s girl-group hits with traces of darker emotions seething under the surface. The breezy glide of “Emma’s House” and “Blue Star” find balance in the mellow jazz caress of “Late Summer” and the surf guitar thrust of “Into the Sea.” Weidl savors sweet infatuation in “Dreaming” and takes quiet relish in giving a guy the cold shoulder in “Go Away.” Within these tunes' simple structures, Seapony takes a few chances and gives itself room to breathe, particularly when Rowland slips in a chiming guitar solo amid the programmed drum tracks. Taken as a whole, <i>Go with Me</i> is a billowy parfait of pop sounds that reveals subtle (and slightly disquieting) highlights with repeated listening.